This is an AAO appeal decision — a case denied once and appealed. It shows how the framework is applied; it is not the filing population.
The Petitioner, a biostatistician, sought to continue her role designing, implementing, and analyzing a large multi-center pediatric and perinatal HIV/AIDS clinical trials network, including a major study on preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission.
Field: biostatistics (HIV/AIDS clinical trials) · Read the decision (uscis.gov)
Prong 1 — national importanceestablished
“The expert letters and information from the and the websites show the impm1ance of the proposed biostatistics research both nationally and internationally”
AAO decision text
Prong 2 — well positionedestablished
“The Petitioner's experience and expertise in her field. published and presented work. record of success contributing to various medical studies, progress in the area of HIV I AIDS research. and significant role for projects such as the protocol position her well to advance her proposed endeavor.”
AAO decision text
Prong 3 — balance of factorsestablished
“Based on the Petitioner's track record of successful research and the significance of her ongoing role in a project that advances U.S. interests, we find that she oilers contributions of such value that, on balance, they would benefit the United States even assuming that other qualified U.S. workers are available.”
AAO decision text
How the evidence was treated
- recommendation letter · credited
- citations publications · credited
- other · credited
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Notable
This is a rare sustained appeal where all three Dhanasar prongs were found satisfied; the AAO expressly found benefit to the U.S. 'even assuming that other qualified U.S. workers are available,' directly addressing the third prong's language.
Authorities this decision leans on
From the doctrinal survivor set — 187 authority tests across 47 distinct authorities cleared the differential-lift gates. Only those appear here.
- INA 203(b)(2)
- INA 291
What this case teaches
Analyst reading of the decision text.
Strong corroborating expert/government letters and federal funding record established both the endeavor's national-scale importance and petitioner's unique, hard-to-replace role, satisfying all three Dhanasar prongs.
Pair a concretely defined ongoing project with letters and funding evidence showing both the project's national/international scale and the petitioner's irreplaceable specific contributions to it.
specific
public_health · field_advancement · government_interest
mixed
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